DRINKING WATER
4 Essential Truths About Carbon Reactivation
Long-standing myths about GAC reactivation are being increasingly challenged, revealing performance, cost, and sustainability benefits many utilities may have overlooked.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![pressure-vessels]( "The Four Tenets Of Pressure Vessel Design")
The Four Tenets Of Pressure Vessel DesignThis article discusses the four tenets of designing pressure vessels: Corrosion Management, Hydraulic Performance, Media Optimization, and Maintenance and Operations and its relation to optimizing PFAS removal.
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Changxing Power Plant Debuts The World's First Forward Osmosis-Based Zero Liquid Discharge Application
Desalination Technology Transforms 650 m3/day of Abused Industrial Wastewater
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![GettyImages-1127918144_450_300]( "Why Old-Fashioned Line Maintenance Isn't Working For Modern Communities")
Why Old-Fashioned Line Maintenance Isn't Working For Modern CommunitiesThe modern challenges faced by today's water utilities require modern solutions, and insertion valves have evolved into an ideal solution for a range of problems.
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![gettyimages-1034334912-170667a]( "Leveraging AMI For The Low Voltage Landscape")
Leveraging AMI For The Low Voltage LandscapeIn this white paper, explore ways that utilities are prioritizing grid management use cases and challenges that utilities face in capturing the full value of AMI data.
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![APEI---Select-Harvest-Case-Study---2022-5]( "Filtration Solution For Arsenic Removal From Well Water")
Filtration Solution For Arsenic Removal From Well WaterSelect Harvest was in need of a filtration solution to remove high levels of arsenic from their well water supply. Learn how Applied Process Equipment helped them remove arsenic to non-detectable levels.
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![Success_Story-Rock_Falls_IL-4]( "10 Years After Installation, Insta-Valve 250 Helps Isolate Repair Area")
10 Years After Installation, Insta-Valve 250 Helps Isolate Repair AreaA previously installed Insta-Valve 250 insertion valve provided control for a fire pump removal without backflow between the water distribution piping and the water treatment facility.
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The Science Of Mixing And Improving Water Quality In Water Storage Tanks
Water storage tanks and reservoirs are a critical component of distribution systems, yet they can pose a significant challenge for water utilities as they often have a negative impact on water quality. Water quality problems can develop due to low turnover and/or inadequate mixing resulting in short-circuiting. While the benefits of maximizing tank turnover to minimize water age are generally understood, it is only recently that extensive research on mixing characteristics of storage tanks has been undertaken that has provided insight on what causes water quality problems and expertise in designing inlet/outlet pipe configurations, or mixing systems, to achieve complete mixing and maintain water quality.
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![Innovation_iStock-624034584.jpg]( "Fight Contaminants Of Emerging Concern With A Pipeline Of Innovation")
Fight Contaminants Of Emerging Concern With A Pipeline Of InnovationWater treatment challenges are never-ending — from source water availability, to seasonal upsets, to new contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The best way to stay ahead of such issues is to cultivate a pipeline of innovative solution development ready to address the next challenge. Here are some key insights for evaluating suppliers that are best positioned to do exactly that.
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![Project_Brief-WindsorCO-2]( "Insta-Valve 250 Provides Permanent Control After Traditional Valve Fails")
Insta-Valve 250 Provides Permanent Control After Traditional Valve FailsDuring an infrastructure improvement project, the Town of Windsor discovered an inoperable valve close to the historic downtown area. With residences, a fire department, a middle school, and businesses nearby, the loss of a control point could create significant issues should routine maintenance or an emergency repair be required. Also, replacing the valve would disrupt service to essential services within the area.
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![GettyImages-1174752803 housing complex]( "Multifamily Complexes: The Rise Of Smart Water Management")
Multifamily Complexes: The Rise Of Smart Water ManagementResidential communities, whether they house dozens or hundreds of families, increasingly view themselves as miniature towns with unique needs and challenges. One area where this perspective is particularly evident is in water network management.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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Application Note: Water Flows From The Golden Hills Of California1/20/2010Each morning John Johnson drives the few miles from his smalltown home in northern California to the Center at Pardee Reservoir. Nestled among the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the reservoir is a long 100 miles away from San Francisco Bay. By YSI
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LC-MS/MS Analysis Of PFAS Extractables In Polyethersulfone Syringe Filters Using EPA 537.15/18/2022
A key consideration for any PFAS method is to avoid contamination that can impact the accuracy of data, including those coming from sample preparation techniques such as filtration.
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Aquafine Ultraviolet Treatment Systems For TOC Reduction1/29/2025
Aquafine TOC reduction units coupled with ion exchange systems or EDI will oxidize trace organics into smaller ionic species, carbon dioxide and water, which are more readily removed by ion exchange resins, EDI, and/or degasifiers.
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Leak Detection On Water Distribution Network Using Clamp-On Flowmeters5/22/2023
A global engineering company realized that their leak identification methods were time consuming and expensive, and so began to explore alternative solutions, such as ultrasonic flow meters.
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Aries Arsenic Reduction1/7/2026
Arsenic has no smell, taste, or color when dissolved in water even in high concentrations. It is a potential concern to those who live in areas with high natural deposits of arsenic, receive runoff from orchards, or from glass and electronic production waste. Long-term exposure to arsenic can cause a number of harmful effects on the human body including cancer, skin lesions, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, among others.
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Removal Of Chloramines With Activated Carbon12/30/2013
In order to reduce the formation of harmful disinfection byproducts in drinking water, alternative disinfectant use has become increasingly widespread. Monochloramine is a leading alternative disinfectant that offers advantages for municipal water. This tech brief details the removal of monochloramine using activated carbon.
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The Role Of Zeta Potential In Water Treatment Process Control5/27/2020
Physical processes such as sedimentation, flotation and filtration remain at the heart of most process trains for the treatment of water and wastewater flows.
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Application Bulletin: Reverse Osmosis3/19/2008
Osmosis is the phenomenon of lower dissolved solids in water passing through a semi-permeable membrane into higher dissolved solids water until a near equilibrium is reached
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The Importance Of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) In The Water Analysis Sector3/6/2026
A high standard of living involves a high demand for water and, at the same time, causes much greater pollution of this essential element for life. The resultant interference in the natural cycle can often overwhelm natural processes of recovery, so that there is a build-up of anthropogenous additives such as pesticides, effluents and garbage, which contaminate drinking water supplies.
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Secret To Disinfection Monitoring For High Chlorine Residual Wastewater Applications8/2/2015
Some wastewater applications require chlorine residuals greater than can be effectively monitored using DPD due to the oxidation of the Wurster dye to a colorless Imine. Such applications include industrial wastewater processes that inherently have a high chlorine demand thereby requiring a more robust monitoring method.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
Aqueous Vets has extensive experience selecting granular activated carbons and ion-exchange resins used to treat drinking water for both municipal and private utilities. Removal of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), 1,2,3-Trichloroprane (TCP), Hydrogen Peroxide Quenching, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), VOC’s, Hydrocarbons, Perchlorate, Arsenic, and Hexavalent Chrome are typical.
The Singer In-Line Strainer is carefully designed to protect valves and regulators from pipeline debris, so utilities don’t have to worry about costly maintenance, downtime, and repairs. Manufactured in ductile iron with corrosion-resistant stainless-steel screen, the screen design provides a smooth laminar flow, which is ideal for locations ahead of automatic control valves.
For more than 50 years, metallic zinc coating has provided proven, active corrosion protection for ductile iron pipe, helping utilities extend service life in a wide range of soil and environmental conditions.
Learn about KROHNE's ultrasonic clamp-on flowmeter for temporary flow measurement of liquids.
The Sentryx software enabled Super Centurion hydrant brings together the infrastructure platform you trust with the data intelligence to make informed, actionable decisions.
The PTBT5 is a lab-accurate water quality pocket tester that allows you to use your mobile device and the X2 app to measure, store and export data.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![Reservoir spillway dumping overflow-GettyImages-2152233125]( "Applying Two Flood Models To Cross-Check And Improve Each Other — And Maybe Saving A Downstream Village In The Process")
Getting a second opinion is a time-tested piece of wisdom. During a recent project for a municipal water supply utility, we found that this advice also applies to modeling the effects storms have on the municipality’s reservoirs and dams, and the potential flooding impacts downstream of the dams.
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![Research, probing, monitoring atmosphere-GettyImages-987881424]( "How Satellite IoT Can Enhance Remote Water System Monitoring")
There is a noticeable shift in how monitoring data is being treated across the water sector. It is no longer something that sits quietly in the background of operations, collected for compliance, and reviewed periodically. It is being examined more closely, and more often, by a wider set of stakeholders.
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![ozone production]( "Mass Transfer Efficiency: The Most Important Metric In Ozone System Design")
Ozone output doesn’t guarantee performance. Learn how mass transfer efficiency determines how much ozone dissolves, drives treatment results, and impacts energy use and system design.
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![Cahaba River-GettyImages-2152826831]( "What Is The Future Of Source Water Protection?")
Water utility managers and municipal leaders have long struggled amid the convergence of several threats to public water supplies. During a recent Water Online Live event, I sat with a panel of industry experts to examine the transition from reactive crisis management to a proactive, adaptive resilience framework. -
![Bacteria, Medical research, healthcare-GettyImages-2161239007]( "The Hidden Legionella Risk In Closed-Loop Systems")
For a long time, it’s been assumed that closed-loop water systems — those commonly found in building heating systems, air-conditioning units, and cooling systems — are at a low risk for Legionella. However, there are many reasons why closed-loop systems can actually inadvertently promote the risk of Legionella. -
![Avoid pitfall Planning, obstacle avoidance-GettyImages-2167644498]( "Common AMI Implementation Mistakes And How To Avoid Them")
The journey from manual water-meter reads to a fully integrated digital ecosystem is long and complex. To help utilities along, the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN) released the global Smart Metering Playbook, which includes both implementation best practices and common pitfalls. Here are five common advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) rollout mistakes from the Playbook, along with examples of how to overcome them.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
Get a closer look at how SIWA MDM Analytics Foundation transforms utility data into actionable insight.
ABOUT DRINKING WATER
In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers
Drinking Water Sources
Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater.
Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.
Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.
There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.
The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.
The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.
During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.
Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.
Drinking Water Distribution
Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.
A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.
Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.